Roller skates for shoes



D. M. WEITZNER 3,3,623

ROLLER SKATES FOR SHOES Feb. 2, 197

Filed Nov. 12, 1964 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 2, 15? D. M. WEITZNER ROLLER SKATES FOR SHOES Filed Nov. 12, 1964 s sheets-sheet 2 Q 1' 1 /2$ x21 T 15 16 INVENTOR 3 s R MW it h N .L Q w W 3, m N 3 e I e h s a 3 Im H f. 0 m w N R H m a m T W V D m L O R Feb. 28, E967 Flled Nov 12, 1964 United States Patent 3,306,623 ROLLER SKATES FOR SHOES Dorothea M. Weitzner, 8 E. 62nd St., New York, N.Y. 10021 Filed Nov. 12, 1964, Ser. No. 410,401 7 Claims. (Cl. 280-112) According to the invention there is provided a roller skate including a shoe which has quickly detachable wheels or rollers for converting the skate to a walking shoe and vice versa.

One object of the invention is to provide a roller skate having rollers or wheels detachably supported at the bottom of a shoe by means of spring clips.

Another object is to provide a skate with a shoe having detachable rollers or wheels, with a compartment in the bottom of the shoe for storing the wheels, when removed from the shoe.

A further object is to provide a roller skate with a shoe having removable rollers, the rollers being in the form of balls connected by a chain, the balls being rotatably and removably disposed in sockets in the bottom of the shoe.

Another object is to provide a roller skate with a braking mechanism in the heel of the shoe.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a roller skate embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the skate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view taken on line 33 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an exploded view partially in section on an enlarged scale of parts of the skate of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of parts of another skate according to the invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on line 6-6 of FIG. 5, with parts assembled.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 77 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another roller skate.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged bottom plan view of the skate of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are enlarged sectional views taken on lines 10-10 and 1111 respectively of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a ball and chain assembly employed in the skate of FIGS. 7-10.

FIG. 13 is a side view of part of another skate embodying the invention.

FIG. 14 is a sectional view taken on line 1414 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the skate of FIG. 13 shown in a tilted position to actuate a braking mechanism therein.

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary bottom plan view taken on line 16-16 of FIG. 13.

Referring first to FIGS. 14, there is shown a skate S1 including a shoe 20 having a thick sole 22, a thick heel 24, insole and an upper 26 to receive the foot of the wearer. In the bottom of the heel and sole are-substantially semi-cylindrical recesses 27-30 in which are rotatably supported rollers or wheels 31-34. The recesses 27, 28 have axial extensions 36, 38 in which are secured by screws or nails 39 U-shaped spring clips 40. The clips have outwardly flaring legs to facilitate insertion of ends of shafts 41, 42. The shafts are rotatably but removably held by the cylindrically curved bights 0f the spring clips. Recesses 29, are connected by a 3,306,623 Patented Feb. 28, 1967 groove 45 in which is seated a pair of spring clips 40' which removably receive and hold shaft 48 whose ends are engaged in rollers 33, 34. As clearly shown in FIG. 2, there are three rollers 32, 33, 34 at the sole of the shoe and a single wide roller 31 at the heel. The rollers can readily be removed from the shoe to convert it to a walking shoe, and can be quickly replaced in the shoe to convert it to a roller skate.

FIGS. 5, 6 and 7 show another skate S2 with a sole 20a having an arrangement of spring clips and recesses identical to that of skate S1 to hold the rollers. The skate has a wedge-shaped heel 24a integral with the thick sole 22a. In the heel is a large bore 50 extending axially through the shoe as clearly shown in FIGS. 6, 7. In this bore is removably fitted a frame 52 having circular ends 54 connected by two springy slats 55. The slats have central holes 56 which engage projection detents 57 in the bore 50 so that the frame is removably held in the heel. The slats are disposed diametrically apart and receive between them four wheels or rollers 31-34 in axial alignment. Three shafts 41', 42' and 48' are removably received in bores 60-62 extending transversely through the heel or sole. The bores have threaded nuts 64 fitted in their ends and the shafts have threaded ends so that they can be screwed into the nuts. Each shaft has a slot in its opposite end to receive a turning member M.

When the rollers are mounted assembled in the frame 52 and the frame is installed in bore 50, the rollers are concealed and yet are readily available for installation in the recesses in the shoe when required to convert it to a roller skate. The concealed rollers do not interfere in any way with use of the shoe as a walking shoe. The shafts are passed through axial holes 65 in the rollers and are then snapped into the spring clips 40 and 40' to engage the rollers rotatably in the recesses 27-30.

Skate S3 shown in FIGS. -811 employs an assembly of rollers in the form of balls 100. The spherical balls have diametrical bores 102. In each bore is loosely fitted a cylindrical shaft 104. A chain 103 of links 105 extends through the shafts so that the balls are held together like a string of beads; see FIG. 12. The shafts are fn'ctionally engaged with the chain. The balls are rotatable on the shafts.

The skate includes shoe 20b which has a thick flexible sole 22b, a thick flexible heel 24b, an innersole 25b and an upper 26b. In the bottom of the sole and heel are spherically curved recesses connected by cylindrical grooves 112. Narrow slits 114 communicate with the grooves 112. The sole 22b is made of flexible plastic material which permits the chain and shafts to be pushed through the slits 114 into the grooves 112 while the balls 100 enter the recesses 110. The halls are all rotatable on horizontal axes transverse to the lengthwise direction of the shoe. The sole 22b has longitudinally extending grooves 115119 which connect the several transversely disposed grooves in a continuous sinuous arrangement interrupted by the recesses 110. One or more of the balls can be omitted as indicated at recess 110' in FIGS. 9, 10. The chain 103 will pass through this recess and will be supported in the grooves 112 at diametrically opposite points of the recess.

The skate S3 will roll smoother, quieter and faster than skates S1 and S2 since a ball roller has a smaller area of contact with a fiat supporting surface than a cylindrical roller.

The chain of balls can easily be pulled out of the sole by grasping the chain at any point such as the vacant recess 110' and pulling the chain. The frictional engagement of the chain with the shafts will cause them to snap out of the grooves 112 and the balls 100 will come with the shafts. The shafts can be pulled along the chain to adjust them at any desired position and will remain where set due to the tight friction fit of the links of the chain in the shafts. The shafts fit snugly in the grooves 112 and do not rotate while the balls are rolling. If desired, a circumferential ridge 118 can be provided on each shaft to hold the ball rotatably on the shaft while preventing movement of the ball axially of its shaft.

Skate S4 shown in FIGS. 13-16 is similar to skate S1 and corresponding parts are identically numbered. Skate S4 has a rear roller 34c mounted on an axial shaft 48b. Opposite ends of this shaft can be pushed through slots 121a, 1211) at opposite lateral edges of the bottom of the flexible heel 240. The roller fits into cylindrically curved recess 30b. Two generally Y-shaped slots 125a, 125k are formed in the bottom of the heel of which slots 121a, 1211; are the pedestals. The slots have divergent sections 123, 124. In the heel are two blind bores 130a, 13011 extending radially from upper ends of forward slot sections 123. In the blind bores are springs 132 which bear on the opposite ends of the shaft 48b.

As shown in FIG. 14, when the shoe 20C is in horizontal position, the shaft 48b is located at the upper rounded ends of rear slot sections 124. The roller 34b is then spaced radially from the wall of recess 30b. If the shoe is tilted upwardly at the toe end as shown in FIG. 15, then the roller is pushed forwardly until the roller frictionally contacts a forward portion of recess 30b which frictionally brakes the rotation of the roller. The shaft 48b then moves forwardly into slot sections 123 and compresses springs 132. When the heel of shoe is restored to horizontal position the expanding springs push the shaft and roller back to the normal position in slot sections 124.

The roller can easily be removed from the heel by prying the shaft 48b out from slots 125a, 125b, so that the shoe 200 can be worn as a walking shoe. The rollers 32, 33 are readily removable and replaceable in sole 22 as previously described in connection with skate S1.

In all forms of the invention described, there is provided a skate which is quickly convertible to a walking shoe or a roller skate at will. The rollers are readily removable and replaceable.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A convertible roller skate, comprising a shoe having a thick sole, a thick heel and an upper assembled together, said sole and heel having cylindrical recesses formed in the bottoms thereof, said recesses having laterally extending axial extensions, spring clips in the recess extensions, a plurality of rollers each having an axial shaft, said shafts extending axially of the rollers, said shafts being removably and rotatably engaged in the spring clips with the rollers extending out of the bottoms of the heel and sole, whereby the skate is convertible to a walking shoe by removing the shafts from the spring clips and the rollers from said recesses.

2. A convertible roller skate, comprising a shoe having a thick sole, a thick heel and an upper assembled together, said sole and heel having cylindrical recesses formed in the bottoms thereof, said recesses having laterally extending axial extensions, spring clips in the recess extensions, a plurality of rollers each having an axial shaft, said shafts extending axially of the rollers, said shafts being removably and rotatably engaged in the spring clips with the rollers extending out of the bottoms of the heel and sole, whereby the skate is convertible to a walking shoe by removing the shafts from the spring clips and the rollers from said recesses, said hell having a transverse central bore, a frame removably disposed in said central bore, said frame including circular end walls connected by axially extending spring arms, said arms and bore having interengaging detents removably holding the frame in said bore, said frame and bore having internal diameters larger than the diameters of the rollers for receiving the rollers when removed from said recesses.

3. A convertible roller skate, comprising a shoe having a thick sole, a thick heel and an upper assembled together, said sole and heel having cylindrical recesses formed in the bottoms thereof, said recesses having laterally extending axial extensions, spring clips in the recess extensions, a plurality of rollers each having an axial shaft, said shafts extending axially of the rollers, said shafts being removably and rotatably engaged in the spring clips with the rollers extending out of the bottoms of the heel and sole, whereby the skate is convertible to a walking shoe by removing the shafts from the spring clips and the rollers from said recesses, said heel having a transverse central bore, a frame removably disposed in said central bore, said frame including circular end walls connected by axially extending spring arms, said arms and bore having interengaging detents removably holding the frame in said bore, said frame and bore having internal diameters larger than the diameters of the rollers for receiving the rollers when removed from said recesses, said heel having a plurality of other transverse bores having diameters substantially equal to the diameters of the shafts for receiving and holding the shafts when removed from the rollers.

4. A convertible roller skate comprising a shoe having a thick sole, a thick flexible heel and an upper assembled together, said heel having a cylindrical recess formed in the bottom thereof, said recess having lateral extensions in the form a Y-shaped slots having divergent sections, said heel having blind bores communicating with said slots, springs in said blind bores, a roller rotatably and removably disposed in said recess and extending laterally out of the recess, said roller having a shaft extending outwardly of ends thereof and into said recess extensions, said springs bearing on said shaft and holding the same in rear extending sections of said slots when the shoe is horizontal, and whereby the roller moves forwardly in said recess braking contact with the heel when the shoe is tilted upwardly at its toe end while the shaft moves forwardly into forward extending sections of said slots to compress said springs.

5. A convertible roller skate comprising a shoe having a thick sole, a thick flexible heel and an upper assembled together, said heel having a cylindrical recess formed in the bottom thereof, said recess having lateral extensions in the form of Y-shaped slots having divergent sections, said heel having blind bores communicating with said slots, springs in said blind bores, a roller rotatably and removably disposed in said recess and extending laterally out of the recess, said roller having a shaft extending outwardly of ends thereof and into said recess extensions, said springs bearing on said shaft and holding the same in rear extending sections of said slots when the shoe is horizontal, and whereby the roller moves forwardly in said recess for braking contact with the heel when the shoe is tilted upwardly at its toe end while the shaft moves forwardly into forward extending sections of said slots to compress said springs, said sole having other cylindrical recesses formed in the bottom thereof, said recesses having other laterally extending extensions, spring clips in said other recess extensions, a plurality of other rollers each having another axial shaft, the shafts of the other rollers being removably and rotatably engaged in the spring clips while the other rollers are rotatably disposed in the other recesses and extend laterally outward thereof, whereby said shoe serves as a walking shoe when the rollers are removed from the recesses in the heel and sole.

6. A convertible roller skate, comprising a shoe having a thick flexible sole, a thick flexible heel and an upper assembled together, said sole and heel having transversely extending grooves connected by longitudinally extending other grooves in a sinuous array at the bottoms of the sole and heel, said sole and heel having a plurality of spherically curved recesses interposed between end of the transverse grooves, a chain of interconnected links, a plurality of balls rotatably disposed on short axial shafts, said chain extending through the shafts of the balls so that the balls are rotatable on the chain, said chain being removably seated in said array of grooves with the balls respectively rotatably disposed in the recesses and extending laterally outward thereof, said shafts being frictionally gripped in the grooves, said grooves having narrow constricted lateral ends communicating with the exterior of the sole and heel and holding the chain in the grooves while yieldably permitting the chain and shafts to be passed through the ends of the grooves into and out of the grooves, whereby said shoe is converted to a walking shoe when the chain and balls are removed from the shoe.

7. A convertible roller skate, comprising a shoe having a thick sole, a thick heel, said sole and heel having recesses formed in the bottoms thereof, and rollers removably and rotatably disposed in said recesses and extending laterally outward of the sole and heel, so that the shoe can be converted to a walking shoe when the rollers are removed from the sole and heel, said rollers being connected together by a chain and said recesses being connected together by grooves with the chain seated in the grooves, whereby the rollers are removed from the recesses by pulling the chain away from the grooves.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,271,891 7/1918 Gustin 28011.1 1,608,368 11/1926 Bugg 28011.19 2,095,942 10/ 1937 Wetterstand 2807 .13 2,165,581 7/1939 Schroeder 280-1123 2,679,401 5/1954 Williams 28011.3 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 229,050 1 1/ 1916 Germany. 533,957 2/1941 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner. 

1. A CONVERTIBLE ROLLER SKATE, COMPRISING A SHOE HAVING A THICK SOLE, A THICK HEEL AND AN UPPER ASSEMBLED TOGETHER, SAID SOLE AND HEEL HAVING CYLINDRICAL RECESSES FORMED IN THE BOTTOMS THEREOF, SAID RECESSES HAVING LATERALLY EXTENDING AXIAL EXTENSIONS, SPRING CLIPS IN THE RECESS EXTENSIONS, A PLURALITY OF ROLLERS EACH HAVING AN AXIAL SHAFT, SAID SHAFTS EXTENDING AXIALLY OF THE ROLLERS, SAID SHAFTS BEING REMOVABLY AND ROTATABLY ENGAGED IN THE SPRING CLIPS WITH THE ROLLERS EXTENDING OUT OF THE BOTTOMS OF THE HEEL AND SOLE, WHEREBY THE SKATE IS CONVERTIBLE TO A WALKING SHOE BY REMOVING THE SHAFTS FROM THE SPRING CLIPS AND THE ROLLERS FROM SAID RECESSES. 